The campaign that brought regional pride – ‘Straighten Up’ – stood as the only finalist from the region at the world’s most prestigious creativity festival, Cannes Lions 2025, making a mark on the global marketing industry by making it to the final round.
The creators returned with heads held high, having secured a place in the final race for a Cannes Lion at a festival that drew nearly 27,000 entries from around the world – including 29 from Croatia, seven from Slovenia, three from North Macedonia, two from Montenegro, and one from Serbia.
The ‘Straighten Up’ campaign was launched by Croatia Polyclinic in collaboration with Go2Digital, the agency Bruketa&Žinić&Grey, and Millenium promocija. Earlier this year, it also won the WOO Creatives Award in the Digital Creative category at the World Out of Home Organization (WOO) global congress held in Mexico City.
As Media Marketing previously reported, the core of the campaign is a fight against sedentary lifestyles and increasing mobile device usage – issues that have led to a troubling statistic: nearly half the population is at risk of spinal health problems, often without even realizing it.
Croatia Polyclinic decided to tackle the issue head-on, using technological innovation as a key tool for disease prevention. Passersby simply stood in front of a citylight display equipped with computer vision and posture-scanning software.
By analyzing the curvature of the neck, middle, and lower spine through eight key points, the system detected potential issues and instantly delivered feedback. The results were displayed visually and numerically, with clearly marked risk areas. For those identified with posture irregularities, the citylight offered an immediate option to book a consultation with a physiatrist – encouraging swift action.
We bring you impressions from Cannes in this exclusive triple interview:
Maja Tucaković, Marketing Director, Croatia Polyclinic
MM: How did the idea for such a campaign come about, and what was most important for you to convey to the public through the ‘Straighten Up’ project?
Maja Tucaković: The idea emerged from alarming health statistics – due to sedentary lifestyles and excessive device usage, more and more people suffer from spine issues, often unknowingly. The goal was to encourage people to literally and metaphorically ‘straighten up,’ not by fear, but through a tangible experience. A passerby in front of the digital citylight receives insight into their own posture and clear direction for next steps and why they matter.
MM: The project involved a range of communications activities – from creative ideation and production to media implementation and results tracking. What was the most challenging aspect of the process, and what surprised you most?
Maja Tucaković: The biggest challenge was aligning all project components – from tech requirements and design to legal compliance and communication strategy. What surprised us was the level of engagement: more than 100,000 people scanned their posture, and specialist consultations increased by 46%. We couldn’t have predicted such a high level of interaction.
MM: What does being shortlisted at Cannes Lions mean for you as a brand, and do you see concrete results – in terms of recognition, audience engagement, or business performance?
Maja Tucaković: Being shortlisted at Cannes Lions is a huge honor – especially coming from outside the traditional creative world. That the campaign was recognized at such a high level confirms that we collectively created something relevant, high-quality, and powerfully executed. More importantly, the campaign didn’t just make an impression – it drove action. The numbers show that it led people to seek consultations and reached a wide audience. Long-term, that’s the greatest value.
Davor Bruketa, Creative Director and Co-founder, Bruketa&Žinić&Grey
MM: The ‘Straighten Up’ project achieved major success by entering two Cannes Lions shortlist categories, making it the only regional project to do so. What do you think most contributed to the campaign being recognized at that level?
Davor Bruketa: I believe two things were key – a strong, relevant message and an innovative media execution. The campaign addressed a real health issue affecting nearly half the population, but did so in a way that gave passersby a reason to stop, react, and learn something about themselves. Cannes values ideas that deliver real impact – and we managed to combine that with a simple, effective, and interactive execution.
MM: How did you approach developing a creative concept that is both informative and visually clear, and applicable across real-world formats – from outdoor to digital channels?
Davor Bruketa: The concept evolved a lot – there were several iterations because it’s a sensitive subject. We’re dealing with public health, at a population level. Our goal was to inform and drive action, without sounding like typical health education. One technical challenge was designing the DOOH format to react to the passerby’s body posture in a way that felt seamless, intuitive, and reliable. Go2Digital was instrumental here – not just for providing the digital citylight network, but for actively contributing to creative development and concept testing.
MM: The project was created in collaboration with Croatia Polyclinic, Go2Digital, and Millenium promocija. How did you shape the story together, and how did this teamwork contribute to successful implementation?
Davor Bruketa: This was the work of a large team. Maja Tucaković from Croatia Polyclinic had a clear vision, goal, and the courage to approach the issue differently. She and her team were involved in every stage of the project. Go2Digital provided not just the tech and media platform, but also helped shape the concept creatively. Millenium promocija ensured the story reached the public through strong PR support. This wasn’t just a campaign – it was a coordinated project where each part was equally vital.
Dean Udatny, Marketing Director, Go2Digital
MM: GO2Digital is known for pushing the boundaries of digital advertising. What did it mean for you to participate in a project that uses ad space for prevention and real-time health screening?
Dean Udatny: In this project, we redefined what out-of-home media can be. Digital screens, usually used for advertising, became tools for real-time health prevention. As a tech-driven company looking for ways to make technology useful, this was a chance to turn ad space into something more – an active player in social change. Instead of a one-way message, we created an interaction that gives back valuable information.
MM: Over 100,000 people used your screens for free posture assessment. How did you ensure the whole system – from detection to display – worked reliably in real-time outdoor settings?
Dean Udatny: That was perhaps the biggest challenge – creating a system that’s fast, precise, and fully automated, without additional infrastructure. We combined computer vision with AI posture analysis models to let the screen recognize a person, scan their posture through eight key body points, and immediately display the result. All of this happened in seconds, without any data input. The project was both technically advanced and logically simple – a person arrives, the screen recognizes and analyzes them, displays results, and anonymously processes aggregated data in real time.
MM: The ‘Straighten Up’ campaign resulted in a 46% increase in specialist appointments. How do you see the role of digital out-of-home media in the future – can it become a tool for action, not just messaging?
Dean Udatny: This campaign proved that digital out-of-home media can be much more than a messaging channel. It can be a service. A sensor. An interactive system that influences behavior immediately and locally. I believe we’ll see more solutions like this – where a screen isn’t just for viewing but is a real-time tool. The combination of tech, public space, and clear purpose can deliver so much – from education to prevention, detection to social mobilization. With ‘Straighten Up,’ we showed that OOH can play a direct, measurable role in community health. That’s a path worth developing further – not just because it’s innovative, but because it delivers real impact. Changing society for the better is a privilege, and the sentence ‘People used to read ads; now ads read people’ perfectly sums up the direction this medium is heading.
